Kempower gains traction in the Finnish eBus charging business in co-operation with Koiviston Auto Group

[Finland] Kuopio Region Public Transport and Lahti Region Transport are all set to introduce electric buses. The Finnish company Kempower has teamed up with Koiviston Auto Group to build the charging infrastructure to power the electric buses — 13 in Kuopio and 18 in Lahti. The buses delivered buy VDL Bus & Coach will enter the local traffic in the spring of 2021.

In both cases the installations will take place in depots and include both high-power CCS2-type cable charging and pantograph charging. The installation will include Kempower Satellites, roof-mounted cable reel chargers as well as pantograph charging stations. In addition, few Kempower Movable Chargers will be included to enable ad-hoc charging needs in places where the fixed charging stations are missing. With Kempower’s intelligent power distribution, charging power is dynamically distributed to meet both the overnight as well as the daytime charging demands of bus fleets.

Reliable electric bus operations require failproof power units

Powering up all the charging points in both cities will be the modular Kempower Power Units. Failure-proof charging solution is a must in daily bus operations. The intelligent engineering of the Kempower Power Units ensures that even if a single power module breaks down, all charging posts still receive power in all situations.

In addition to ensuring a failproof and super reliable charging solution, the modular engineering and dynamic power distribution calls for fewer investments. As power units and electrical connection do not need to be fitted for peak performance charging needs, smaller power units and electrical connection is sufficient. Thus, both the charging equipment and electrical connection investment is lower.

The same modular and scalable engineering also ensures future growth. Due to modular structure they can easily be expanded when electric-bus operations in these two cities grow.

Going electric for a greener, cleaner and more sustainable public transport

The city of Kuopio is one of the most prominent cities in Eastern Finland. The city of Lahti — home to Kempower — has received the honour of becoming the European Green Capital 2021. Kempower is proud to be a working towards creating a greener, cleaner, and more sustainable future for public transport.

The Finnish projects are of great significance to us to gain experience in our home grounds. Kempower aims for a significant market position, initially in the Nordic countries and later elsewhere in Europe. Having projects big and small here in Finland gives us precious insights to serve Nordic and European as well as global customers with the best solutions to suit their needs.

Working together locally with the Finland’s largest bus operator, we are thrilled to play a part in this rapid boom in electrification.

Tomi Ristimäki, CEO of Kempower

We are excited that Kempower is gaining traction in the Finnish eBus charging environment. Collaborating with Koiviston Auto Group gives both Koiviston Auto and Kempower valuable experience in ramping up electric bus operations.

Erik Kanerva

With this collaboration, Kempower will strengthen its position as a leading provider of charging solutions and services for electric vehicles. With the market for electric buses growing rapidly globally, projects such as these are a huge investment in the future.

More and more cities are demanding to replace diesel buses with electric buses

Electrification of public transport is advancing at faster pace than probably anyone would have guessed. We are already seeing that the operating costs of electric bus fleets become competitive compared to diesel buses. Smartly-designed charging infrastructure has a part play in this equation.

Michael Andersson, Technical Director at Koiviston Auto Group

More and more cities are demanding to replace diesel buses with electric buses, aiming to reduce the environmental impact. Thus, the market for electric buses is growing rapidly

Michael Andersson

We as a bus operator need to transform our business model from diesel-based operations into electric bus operations. This means rethinking routing, schedule planning, bus fleet among others. Charging infrastructure and charging principles play an important role and Kempower’s engineering, solutions and experience has been a great help in this.

Michael Andersson

This future-ready collaboration between key domestic players in Finland is a big step towards the goal of making public transport across the nation more environmentally friendly and sustainable, while maintaining efficiency and profitability. The project will help generate valuable insights and experience and set the path for many such future endeavours in the region.

For more information

Koiviston Auto Group
Michael Andersson
Technical Director
Tel. +358 50 435 8014

Kempower Oy
Erik Kanerva
Sales Director
Tel. +358 40 5239355
erik.kanerva@kempower.com

About Kempower:

Kempower designs and manufactures DC fast charging solutions for electric vehicles and machines. We’re a team of electric vehicle enthusiasts with a deep understanding of the charging market and a hands-on mentality. Our product development and production are rooted in Finland, with a majority of our materials and components sourced locally. We focus on all areas of transportation, from personal cars and commercial vehicles to mining equipment, boats and motorsports. With Kemppi Group’s 70 years’ experience in perfecting DC power supplies, we set the bar high in engineering and user-experience design. Kempower is listed in the Nasdaq First North Growth Market Finland.  www.kempower.com